tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15888307Mon, 02 Mar 2015 16:37:35 +0000The Phantom SoapboxReporting and opining upon political and scientific occurrences of interest to me, The Phantom.
This is my soapbox, and I'm standing on it.http://phantomsoapbox.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (The Phantom)Blogger1200125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15888307.post-7941810375382527981Fri, 27 Feb 2015 18:16:00 +00002015-02-27T13:16:53.878-05:00Godspeed.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fIGFtpqs0EM/VPC0f5uOtQI/AAAAAAAABxA/djagid0fXYE/s1600/Spock_performing_Vulcan_salute.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fIGFtpqs0EM/VPC0f5uOtQI/AAAAAAAABxA/djagid0fXYE/s1600/Spock_performing_Vulcan_salute.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></div><br />http://phantomsoapbox.blogspot.com/2015/02/godspeed.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Phantom)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15888307.post-1513244487519040497Fri, 27 Feb 2015 16:09:00 +00002015-02-27T11:24:50.751-05:00Yesterday was "100 flowers", today is "Reichstag fire".<div dir="ltr"><div><div><div>Once upon a time in China, there was an evil warlord named Mao Tse Tung. He wanted to identify and kill everyone in his lands who disagreed with him. So he proclaimed a new government program, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hundred_Flowers_Campaign" target="_blank"><b>Hundred Flowers Movement.</b></a> He said "Let a hundred flowers bloom; let a hundred schools of thought contend".<br /><br /></div>And then after a little while of letting these people talk, he killed them all. In 1957. Then he really got busy, and depopulated the entire continent.<br /><br /></div>Once upon a time in Germany, there was an evil Chancellor named Adolph Hitler who wanted "emergency powers" so he could become Die Fuhrer instead of just the Chancellor. So he had somebody burn down the Reichstag. This is known as the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reichstag_fire" target="_blank">Reichstag Fire</a>, and it marked the creation of the Third Reich.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Z_bPVWWdfKM/VPCYRNufzmI/AAAAAAAABwo/S7T_EQKGmTk/s1600/reichstag-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Z_bPVWWdfKM/VPCYRNufzmI/AAAAAAAABwo/S7T_EQKGmTk/s1600/reichstag-2.jpg" height="320" width="243" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reichstag fire.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div>Adolph went on to kill a lot of people, although he never came even faintly close to Mao Tse Tung.<br /><div><div><br /></div><div>Fast forward to modern times. In the Interwebz we have an example of the Hundred Flowers Movement. We've all been happily sharing our most private thoughts, comments, news, pictures, naked pictures, movies, ALL of our lives on-line since the 1990's. And during a great deal of that time, the United States government, the Canadian&nbsp; government, the British government, all kinds of governments around the world have RECORDED IT ALL.<br /><br /></div><div>These days the NSA alone copies pretty much ever packet that goes along the Internet. You know that Apple iCloud thing that's so awesomely convenient for saving pics off your phone? They copy those. Yes, they do.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1xH6sX0UI00/VPCZRloug5I/AAAAAAAABww/IA03XWDQauY/s1600/Edward-Snowden.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1xH6sX0UI00/VPCZRloug5I/AAAAAAAABww/IA03XWDQauY/s1600/Edward-Snowden.jpg" height="178" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love him or hate him, at least we were warned.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div>So somebody, somewhere, has a perfect record of everything you've ever done online or on the phone.<br /><br /></div><div>Which brings us to today. <a href="http://www.breitbart.com/video/2015/02/26/cuban-fcc-net-regs-will-spill-over-tv-as-you-know-it-is-over/" target="_blank">Today is the Reichstag Fire of The Internet</a>. </div><div><br /><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204,204,204); margin: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">Dallas Mavericks owner and investor Mark Cuban predicted that proposed FCC Internet regulations will end up impacting TV and "your TV as you know it is over" on Thursday's "Squawk Alley" on CNBC.<br />Cuban began by predicting "the courts will rule the Internet for the next however many years." He then explained, "let's just take it all the way through its logical conclusion. All bits are bits, all bits are equal. If all bits are equal, then let's look at what a stream bit is an example. So when Henry and I do an interview, and it's streamed lived on the Internet, there's a camera, it goes through an encoder, it sends it out via server or some manner to the Internet, you click on Business Insider and you watch the stream, right? Now, let's look at CNBC on Comcast. There's cameras right in front of you, they go through a switcher, they go through an encoder, it's put through a server, it goes to Comcast, and it's streamed in a managed service environment to television. It's the exact same thing. And if it's the exact same thing technologically and all bits are equal, then why shouldn't CNBC and all TV networks that are delivered on cable, and Telco, and fiber like Verizon, why shouldn't they be part of the open Internet as well? And if they are and all bits are equal, now, let's take it one step further. It's the purview of the FCC now. The FCC, right? So, the FCC now has to apply their same standards to content, don't they, that they do to television content because that's where it is and there's going to be certain citizens who think 'well now, since all content is delivered over the Internet because all bits are bits, and it's a fair, and open, and equal Internet — decency standards.' <span style="color: red;"><span style="color: red;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">And remember the FCC is the same agency that fought Nipplegate for eight years over a wardrobe malfunction</span></b></span>.</span>"<br />He added, "your TV as you know it is over."</blockquote>Meaning that if they want to, the FCC could be applying "decency standards" to your personal shit on Apple iCloud. And sending the cops around for a chat if they feel the need.<br /><br />That most likely won't happen this week because its far too quick a change. They'll ease into it over the course of a few years, after a couple billion dollars worth of lawsuits grind their way through the courts. But, I predict that the days of carrying your smartphone around everywhere and sharing pics of your dinner on Facebook are now officially numbered.<br /><br /></div><div>Welcome to the New World Order.<br /><br />I do believe I said this was going to happen waaaaaay back in 2008, but everybody said "Noooo, that can't happen here! This is a <i>civilized</i> country."&nbsp; Problem is, that's wrong. It can happen here. It just did. <br /><br />Germany and China were civilized countries too, my friends. Look what happened to them.<br /><br /></div><div>The Phantom</div></div></div>http://phantomsoapbox.blogspot.com/2015/02/yesterday-was-100-flowers-today-is.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Phantom)6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15888307.post-329162171451579325Thu, 26 Feb 2015 19:25:00 +00002015-02-26T14:25:19.033-05:00The Iron Finger of Deletion.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bphhMaEjTRk/VO9yMk8P1pI/AAAAAAAABwU/PNDifb67APM/s1600/Iron-Reaver-Finger-Claw-417.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Abandon all hope, ye who comment here!</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;">Behold ye trolls and unsavory denizens of the dark: The Iron Finger of Deletion.&nbsp;</span><br /><br />It hungers!<br /><br /><br />http://phantomsoapbox.blogspot.com/2015/02/the-iron-finger-of-deletion.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Phantom)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15888307.post-6284385406351631129Thu, 12 Feb 2015 14:53:00 +00002015-02-12T09:58:41.659-05:00"SHUT UP!!!!!" they explained.<div dir="ltr">Todays excursion into SHUT UUUUUP!!!!! comes, predictably, from the<a href="http://www.plu.edu/resolute/fall-2014/words-can-hurt/"> Left Coast of Amurrika</a>.<br /><br /><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204,204,204); margin: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">Originally spurred with a $500 Diversity Center grant from The Pride Foundation, the campaign focused on queer identities and hurtful words surrounding them, said Center director Angie Hambrick, who teamed with Lace Smith, then with Student Involvement and Leadership, to turn those ideas into art. The first posters, which appeared in 2012, featured students tearing up phrases including<span style="font-size: medium;"> "That's so gay," "Lame," "Retarded," "Ghetto," "Fat" and "Illegal."</span> "We then decided to expand the words," Hambrick said. "We really wanted the campaign to be about individual choice—words that they're hearing and words that they've chosen not to say. They've heard those words—maybe even used them—but they now understand these words have impact even when the intent is not to hurt. We have to take responsibility for the impact on others, and on ourselves." </blockquote><div><br /></div><div>&nbsp;Yes, they have a whole billboard campaign featuring "concerned young people" tearing words in half.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5mDOfPOVP5I/VNy_BfvHsQI/AAAAAAAABv4/aADD20GPPQc/s1600/thatssogay_annika1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5mDOfPOVP5I/VNy_BfvHsQI/AAAAAAAABv4/aADD20GPPQc/s1600/thatssogay_annika1.jpg" height="146" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No, really. Its gay. What are you, exotic?</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div>The whole thing is so <span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">lame </span></span></span>I feel <span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;">retarded </span></span></span>for having even read about it.<br /><br /></div><div>The Phantom</div></div>http://phantomsoapbox.blogspot.com/2015/02/shut-up-they-explained.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Phantom)6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15888307.post-6850334105674678020Wed, 11 Feb 2015 14:48:00 +00002015-02-11T09:51:51.677-05:00Hey Hipsters, got some piping hot Irony for ya...<div dir="ltr"><div><div><div><div><div>Yep, big ol' pile of steaming irony right here at the Soapbox. <a href="http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2015/02/french-artists-calls-for-peace-end-in-brutal-beating-by-local-muslims/">Seems some religionists are less interested in coexisting than others</a>:<br /><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204,204,204); margin: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">It seems like something one would be hard pressed to disagree with: the word "coexist," written on a wall using a Muslim crescent as the letter "C," a Star of David as the letter "X," and a Christian cross as a "T."<br />But in Paris, this particular iteration of the popular inscription—here, created by the street artist Combo, who also pasted a life-size photo of himself next to it—didn't go down well with everybody. Le Monde reports that <span style="font-size: x-large;">four young people</span> asked the artist to remove it last weekend, and beat him up severely when he refused to do so.</blockquote>Now, you may be wondering about the religious affiliation of the "four young people" who kicked this guy's ass. Because the paper didn't say. I checked with Google Translate.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P5DYVPA75hM/VNtsHk85F3I/AAAAAAAABvo/X8rFGwCNrVg/s1600/combo-coexist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P5DYVPA75hM/VNtsHk85F3I/AAAAAAAABvo/X8rFGwCNrVg/s1600/combo-coexist.jpg" height="170" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wow. Now <u>that</u> is offensive.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div>Let's do a thought experiment shall we? Can you envision four young Orthodox Jews in black coats and fedoras with those long curls down the side, beating the daylights out of this "ahhhtist" because he was defacing their Star of David? Ok, maybe not.<br /><br /></div>Or how about four beefy Mormons, eh? Yeah, them boys from Utah are really known for... no, I can't see it either.<br /><br /></div>Buddhists? Some of those Shaolin Temple ass kickers in the saffron robes decide they don't like the cut of Combo's jib? Not working for you?<br /><br /></div>Amish! Yeah, that's the ticket, some Amish bros were in town carousing and took exception to having the Cross associated with... yeah no.<br /><br /></div><a href="https://themuslimissue.wordpress.com/2015/02/05/french-artists-call-for-co-existence-and-peace-provokes-muslim-beating/comment-page-1/">Oh go on, you can guess, right?</a><br /><br /><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204,204,204); margin: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">This article from The Local avoids to mention the fact that French media reported: the attack was committed by Muslims in Porte Dorée, more or less a Muslim ghetto East of Paris. Porte Dorée (the Golden door) is also the French name for the fifth century Golden door that serves as the main entry into the city of Jerusalem.<br />Combo, who is born in Amiens to a Christian Lebanese father and a Moroccan Muslim mother, created the artwork as a political message in response to the Charlie Hebdo massacre. Combo says his street art used to stay intact for at least 3-4 years but is nowadays vandalized within 2-3 days of creation. Although Combo doesn't want to reveal the identity of his attackers, he states that he is afraid of future violence from a growing group of extremists in France.<br />He tries "to find similarities" between religions in his art. He became well-known for a political message blasted over Beirut that read:<br />"Less Hamas, more hummus".<br />It was 'very poorly received', he concludes.<br />"I am deliberately being vague about the description of these cowards and where it all happened," his post read. "To me, it doesn't matter where they come from, what colour their skin is, what their religion or their political ideas are. In this context, all they represent is stupidity and ignorance."<br />Combo started out as a graffiti artist in southern France and currently works mostly with wheat paste and prints, which he displays in cities all over the world.</blockquote><div>Despite being French himself, the only place he's getting beaten up after posting all kinds of confrontational stuff all over the world is... France. By Mooslimbs. <br /><br /></div><div>What's the BIGGEST irony of all here is that following the Charlie Hebdo Massacre, and the Jewish Deli Massacre, and the Police Shooting Massacre, and the Four Assholes With AKs Shooting At The Cops Massacre this week, Le Monde still refuses to report that the jerkoffs who beat up Combo the peaceful "can't we all just get along?"&nbsp; graffiti artist were Mooselimbs. Beat him up over a -poster-.<br /><br /></div><div>Meanwhile, Jews all over France are packing up and moving to other countries where if it isn't actually any safer for them, at least they get to shoot back.<br /><br /></div><div>Meanwhile the French hipster Left maintains its calls for more gun control unabated. <br /><br />Now that's some well layered irony for you.</div><br /></div>http://phantomsoapbox.blogspot.com/2015/02/hey-hipsters-got-some-piping-hot-irony.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Phantom)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15888307.post-1265115694789310114Thu, 05 Feb 2015 13:27:00 +00002015-02-05T08:27:34.000-05:00Kitchen light turns on, Brian Williams runs for the wainscoting, gets covering fire from Washington Post<div dir="ltr"><div><div>Brian Williams lied about being in a helicopter that got hit in Iraq. Ok, I&#39;m sure Brian Williams lies every day, I don&#39;t care. I have low expectations.<br><br></div>But then all the people who were in the helicopter call him on it, and a &quot;thing&quot; ensues. So after getting called out, a lot, Brian Williams issues a big grandiose apology on TV. I still don&#39;t care, because low expectations. Obviously he&#39;s going to spin it, that&#39;s why I don&#39;t watch NBC.<br><br></div>What pissed me off was this: Guy lies, gets called on it, issues biiiig grandiose apology to make himself look good after lying. Then the media reporter does this:<br><br><blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex" class="gmail_quote">The admission is a rare black mark for Williams, a poised, veteran newsman who has anchored NBC's signature newscast since 2004 and has endeared himself to non-news audiences through appearances on "30 Rock," "The Tonight Show" and other entertainment programs.<br></blockquote><div><br></div><div>They read out his f-ing resume! &quot;Like, Brian&#39;s not such a bad guy eh? I mean, he&#39;s been on 30 Rock and everything!&quot;<br><br></div><div>HEY, MEDIA!!!! This kinda thing is why you are all going into the ratings/sales toilet. Brian Williams is a self aggrandizing sack of shit whose best feature is good hair. Kick him to the curb, move on already.<br></div></div> http://phantomsoapbox.blogspot.com/2015/02/kitchen-light-turns-on-brian-williams.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Phantom)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15888307.post-1090106023958625489Thu, 05 Feb 2015 01:57:00 +00002015-02-04T21:29:07.034-05:00This is a sad thing. RWBY creator Monty Oum has died.<div dir="ltr"><div><div>I just discovered this very fun cartoon TV show called RWBY on Netflix. I finished watching Volume 2 today and looked it up to see when Volume 3 might come out. <a href="http://roosterteeth.com/members/journal/entry.php?id=3302319">Then I found this</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204,204,204); margin: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">Our friend, inspiration and co-worker Monty Oum passed away yesterday afternoon at 4:34 PM surrounded by people who loved him very much. Ten days ago Monty suffered a severe allergic reaction during a simple medical procedure that left him in a coma. Although he fought bravely, his body was not able to recover. During his time in the hospital he was well cared for and never in pain at any time. <br /><br />Monty is survived by his wife Sheena, his father Mony, his brothers Woody, Sey, Chivy and Neat, and his sisters Thea and Theary, as well as a countless number of fans and friends. We were so proud to be a part of his life and we will miss him greatly.<br /><br />Your generosity during the hours after the public statement on Friday will help his family deal with the costs of his care and his passing. You made an incredible difference during a difficult time and we cannot thank you enough.<br /><br />As for honoring Monty, we will do that in our own way. In lieu of flowers or gifts, we ask that you simply do something creative. Use your imagination to make the world a better place in any way that you can. If you know Monty like we do, then you know he would certainly be doing that if he were able to. <br /><br />Monty was 33 years old. <br /><br />We love you, Monty.</blockquote><br /></div>So this is Monty Oum's work,<a href="http://roosterteeth.com/archive/?sid=rwby&amp;v=more"> RWBY</a>. I think its an excellent cartoon, and very enjoyable. A talented man.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-drYy-deOE1w/VNLU5z_RMoI/AAAAAAAABvM/AZjh0tzOo4c/s1600/RWBY-characters-2-1200x675.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-drYy-deOE1w/VNLU5z_RMoI/AAAAAAAABvM/AZjh0tzOo4c/s1600/RWBY-characters-2-1200x675.png" height="180" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mvviJ7kX4qg/VNLVTruweQI/AAAAAAAABvU/dUh0GYnxsD0/s1600/3514501-8312813881-rwby_.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mvviJ7kX4qg/VNLVTruweQI/AAAAAAAABvU/dUh0GYnxsD0/s1600/3514501-8312813881-rwby_.png" height="211" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bOxLUM9sRJw/VNLQjSz8wBI/AAAAAAAABvA/VHeHF4Xcgk0/s1600/rwby___ruby_by_littlekotone-d6niid8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bOxLUM9sRJw/VNLQjSz8wBI/AAAAAAAABvA/VHeHF4Xcgk0/s1600/rwby___ruby_by_littlekotone-d6niid8.jpg" height="150" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /></div>The Phantom</div>http://phantomsoapbox.blogspot.com/2015/02/this-is-sad-thing-rwby-creator-monty.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Phantom)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15888307.post-6071777547655630030Tue, 03 Feb 2015 22:36:00 +00002015-02-03T17:36:54.320-05:00IRS still runs on COBOL. For real.<div dir="ltr"><div><div><div><div><div>Chief of the IRS admits his department of the government is hopelessly, hilariously broken.<br><br><blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex" class="gmail_quote"><p><span style="font-size:14px;line-height:1.5em">At a Senate Finance Committee Hearing today, <a href="http://www.finance.senate.gov/hearings/hearing/?id=c1ff00a9-5056-a032-527d-d4ac3f013388" target="_blank">IRS commissioner John </a></span><a href="http://www.finance.senate.gov/hearings/hearing/?id=c1ff00a9-5056-a032-527d-d4ac3f013388" target="_blank">Koskinen</a><span style="font-size:14px;line-height:1.5em"><a href="http://www.finance.senate.gov/hearings/hearing/?id=c1ff00a9-5056-a032-527d-d4ac3f013388" target="_blank"> testified</a> on IRS funding requests for the upcoming fiscal year. </span>Koskinen<span style="font-size:14px;line-height:1.5em"> admitted that the IRS is stuck in the past when it comes to technology:</span></p> <p style="margin-left:0.5in">"Despite more than a decade of upgrades to the agency's core business systems, we still have very old technology running alongside our more modern systems."</p> <p>Some of this software is so old that it is the same technology being used in 1963, a full 52 years ago:</p> <p style="margin-left:0.5in"><span id="OLK_SRC_BODY_SECTION"><strong><em>"In regard to software, we still have applications that were running when John F. Kennedy was President." </em></strong></span></p> <p><span id="OLK_SRC_BODY_SECTION">In fact, Commissioner Koskinen stated that the IRS still uses a programming language — COBOL — that was considered obsolete 15 years ago. As his testimony stated, it is now difficult to find anyone with expertise in this programming:</span></p> <p style="margin-left:0.5in"><em>"And we continue to use COBOL programming language. COBOL was considered outdated back when I served as Chairman of the President's Council on Year 2000 Conversion and it is extremely difficult to find IT experts who are versed in this language."</em></p></blockquote>They have software from 1962 running on hardware from the 1980&#39;s, is what he means. He has COBOL running on machinery so old the whole thing could be replaced with a PHONE. I seem to recall seeing a couple years ago that the IRS had -finally- phased out punch card machines. Awesome.<br><br></div>Anybody still remember the Millennium Bug? January 1st 2000 at 12:01 AM all these ancient systems were going to hit the end of their 8 bit date address spaces and crash hard. The IRS spent a cubic buttload of money updating all those 1960&#39;s technology systems, instead of replacing them as any actual business would. Because they&#39;re the government. They don&#39;t care how much it costs.<br><br></div>Well that was the 1990&#39;s. Its 2015 now. Its been FIFTEEN YEARS since they touched any of this crap, all of which should have been jettisoned in the 1980s and done over properly.<br><br></div>Canadians should not feel smug however, the Canadian government remains the largest purchaser of DEC TK50/TK70 tape drives in North America. They standardized on the DEC VAX system back in the 1980&#39;s and are still running them. Just for comparison, the storage and processing of an entire room full of VAX 11/780s could be handled by an iPad.<br><br></div>The extent of this failure is truly epic. Except it isn&#39;t much on the scale that the Barack Obama administration is failing on. Compared to the Immigration department the IRS is a model of efficiency. I mean, they actually do process tax returns, eventually. The INS doesn&#39;t process anything, they just ignore you until you go away. Unless you&#39;re an illegal Mexican, then they hand you a Green Card and say &quot;Mi casa et su casa, amigo!&quot;<br><br></div>The Phantom<br></div> http://phantomsoapbox.blogspot.com/2015/02/irs-still-runs-on-cobol-for-real.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Phantom)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15888307.post-2097799926617104678Tue, 03 Feb 2015 02:05:00 +00002015-02-02T21:05:43.992-05:00Dear Americans, your country is broken.<div dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/397713/report-federal-government-issued-nearly-55-million-work-permits-foreign-nationals-2009">Yes friends, you have a big freakin&#39; problem</a>.<br><br><blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex" class="gmail_quote">Data uncovered from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services agency reveal that approximately 982,000 work permits were given to illegal immigrants and other foreign nationals unqualified for admission, most of whom crossed the border without inspection.<br></blockquote><div><br></div><div>Let&#39;s break that down a little, shall we?<br><br><blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex" class="gmail_quote">The remarkable number of work permits granted by the federal government to law-breaking aliens better explains how all net jobs <a href="http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/395057/report-all-net-jobs-growth-2007-has-gone-immigrants-ryan-lovelace">growth</a> since 2007 has gone to immigrants. The government issued approximately 1.7 million work permits since 2009 to aliens whose status was not known, not recorded, or not disclosed by USCIS, according to the report. The report says employment is not authorized by law for approximately 1.2 million immigrants who collected work permits while having a temporary visa status. <span style="font-size:1em;letter-spacing:0px;line-height:1.5em">And the data show that approximately 1,200 new work permits went to unlawful entrants who were denied asylum, were suspected of using fraudulent documentation, were stowaways, or were refused at a port of entry. </span><br></blockquote><div><br></div><div>Meaning, if your show up somewhere along the Southern border and you have a good tan, you get a work permit whether you snuck across or not. It&#39;s completely illegal, but you still get one. <br><br></div><div>You kids should seriously consider fixing that. Just my opinion of course, wouldn&#39;t want to seem pushy or anything.<br><br></div><div>The Phantom<br></div></div></div> http://phantomsoapbox.blogspot.com/2015/02/dear-americans-your-country-is-broken.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Phantom)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15888307.post-2320149146088653226Sat, 31 Jan 2015 05:08:00 +00002015-01-31T00:08:47.310-05:00New computer vulnerabilities for y'all to be aware of. Airgap is no longer king!<div dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.computerworld.com/article/2876292/dns-hijacking-flaw-affects-d-link-dsl-router-possibly-other-devices.html">D-link and TP-Link DSL routers have a big fat hole in them</a>. <br><br><blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex" class="gmail_quote">A vulnerability found in a DSL router model from D-Link allows remote hackers to change its DNS (Domain Name System) settings and hijack users&#39; traffic. The issue might also affect other devices because it is located in a popular firmware used by different manufacturers, according to a security researcher. <br></blockquote><div><br></div><div>More fun, <a href="http://it.slashdot.org/story/15/01/29/141243/georgia-institute-of-technology-researchers-bridge-the-airgap">disconnecting your computers from the internet is no longer a guarantee of computer privacy</a>.<br><br><blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex" class="gmail_quote">Hacked has a piece about Georgia Institute of Technology researchers <a href="https://hacked.com/airgap-wont-secure-computer-anymore/">keylogging from a distance</a> using the electromagnetic radiation of CPUs. They can reportedly do this from up to 6 meters away. In this video, using two Ubuntu laptops, they demonstrate that <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4DhFsJthgI">keystrokes are easily interpreted</a> with the software they have developed.<br></blockquote><div><br></div><div>This<a href="http://cyber.bgu.ac.il/content/how-leak-sensitive-data-isolated-computer-air-gap-near-mobile-phone-airhopper"> has been done before</a>! <br><br><blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex" class="gmail_quote"><div style id="stcpDiv">The main idea behind the research is to use radio frequencies in order to transmit the secret data from the computer to the mobile phone. Mobile phones usually come equipped with FM radio receivers and it is already known that software can intentionally create radio emissions from a video display unit. Yes, from the computer screen. Still, this is the first time that a mobile phone is considered in an attack model as the intended receiver of maliciously crafted radio signals emitted from the screen of the isolated computer. AirHopper demonstrates how textual and binary data can be exfiltrated from physically a isolated computer to mobile phones at a distance of 1-7 meters, with effective bandwidth of 13-60 Bps (Bytes per second). Enough to steal a secret password.<br></div></blockquote><div><br></div><div>Thus, none of your data is secure. At all.<br></div><div><br></div><div><a href="http://it.slashdot.org/story/15/01/28/1445201/justice-department-default-encryption-has-created-a-zone-of-lawlessness?sdsrc=popbyskid">The government&#39;s response is interesting</a>.<br><br><blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex" class="gmail_quote">Tuesday, the federal government continued its offensive against default consumer encryption enabled by Apple and Google and anonymity tools like Tor, saying that greater privacy and security has created a "zone of lawlessness" that law enforcement is having trouble cracking.<p> Leslie Caldwell, an assistant attorney general at the Justice Department, said that the department is "very concerned" by the Google's and Apple's decision to automatically encrypt all data on Android and iOS devices. Her comments aren't entirely surprising, considering that FBI Director James Comey previously said that the agency would push Congress to make automatic encryption illegal, and President Obama has also expressed concern with the development.</p><p> The problem that privacy and security advocates have pointed out is that the US government doesn't really seem to understand what it's asking for. Caldwell was being interviewed as a part of the annual State of the Net Conference in Washington, DC. One minute, she was vilifying encryption; the next, she was sending a message to the country's citizens and companies that they need to be "more conscious of cybersecurity."</p><p> "They need to be assuming they are vulnerable, assuming their data can be taken," she said.</p></blockquote>The government of the United States, as well as the government of Canada, and those of Europe and so forth, are<font size="6"> very happy</font> with the current state of affairs. They can read pretty much anything they like on YOUR computers.<br><br></div><div>Bear it in mind, my friends. And vote accordingly.<br></div></div></div></div> http://phantomsoapbox.blogspot.com/2015/01/new-computer-vulnerabilities-for-yall.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Phantom)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15888307.post-7399684672063749099Wed, 28 Jan 2015 14:51:00 +00002015-01-28T10:01:32.516-05:00Finally, Obama sticks up for America!<div dir="ltr"><div>Yes friends, Obama has told the Wahabi fruitbats of Saudi Arabia that America has its own customs and traditions,<a href="http://news.yahoo.com/michelle-obama-navigates-limits-women-saudi-arabia-192549108.html"> and they are to be respected</a>. In no uncertain terms I might add. <br /><br />Well no, not Barry. He's still a hopeless wanker, bowing all over the place. It was <span style="font-size: x-large;">Moochelle!</span><br /><br /></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204,204,204); margin: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">Joining President Barack Obama for a condolence visit after the death of the King Abdullah, Mrs. Obama stepped off of Air Force One wearing long pants and a long, brightly colored jacket —<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: red;"> but no headscarf.</span></span></blockquote><div><br /></div><div>That's right, the First Klingon First Lady showed up with no head-scarf, no blackbird&nbsp; tent, no nuthin'. She even wore pants ladies and gentlemen, PANTS. If that's not a FUCK Y'ALL!!!, nothing is.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Z29bn8Kk9yk/VMj4WgOmYnI/AAAAAAAABuw/D1Z5OAiOifI/s1600/2015-01-27T133933Z_1442377728_GM1EB1R1M6Z01_RTRMADP_3_OBAMA-SAUDI.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Z29bn8Kk9yk/VMj4WgOmYnI/AAAAAAAABuw/D1Z5OAiOifI/s1600/2015-01-27T133933Z_1442377728_GM1EB1R1M6Z01_RTRMADP_3_OBAMA-SAUDI.jpg" height="219" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Check out the GUNS on that woman! Like Schwarzenegger!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div>Not one of those Saudi boys said a word to her about it either. Probably because she was six inches taller than anybody else in the room and could crush their little heads one handed. The picture says it all, her arms are bigger around than their legs.<br /><br /></div><div>Moochelle Obama, Klingon Warrior Princess!&nbsp; My new heroine of the moment, the First Lady who walks her talk like a boss. I bet she kicked the Secret Service guy out of the front seat and drove the limo too.<br /><br />Go Moochelle!<br /><br /></div><div>The Phantom</div></div>http://phantomsoapbox.blogspot.com/2015/01/finally-obama-sticks-up-for-america.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Phantom)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15888307.post-8629007848633549951Tue, 27 Jan 2015 22:57:00 +00002015-01-27T17:57:56.044-05:00DEA tracks your car in real-time now.<div dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-spies-on-millions-of-cars-1422314779">US Federal government has created a -<i>nation wide</i>- license plate tracking system</a> that follows you around wherever you go on major highways.<br><br><blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex" class="gmail_quote">The Justice Department has been building a national database to track in real time the movement of vehicles around the U.S., a secret domestic intelligence-gathering program that scans and stores hundreds of millions of records about motorists, according to current and former officials and government documents. <p>The primary goal of the license-plate tracking program, run by the Drug Enforcement Administration, is to seize cars, cash and other assets to combat drug trafficking, according to one government document. But the database's use has expanded to hunt for vehicles associated with numerous other potential crimes, from kidnappings to killings to rape suspects, say people familiar with the matter.</p><p>Officials have publicly said that they track vehicles near the border with Mexico to help fight drug cartels.<span style="color:rgb(255,0,0)"><font size="4"> What hasn't been previously disclosed is that the DEA has spent years working to expand the database "throughout the United States,''</font></span> according to one email reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.</p> <p>Many state and local law-enforcement agencies are accessing the database for a variety of investigations, according to people familiar with the program, putting a wealth of information in the hands of local officials who can track vehicles in real time on major roadways.</p></blockquote>In English, this means that not only are Fed super spies tracking your car near borders, they are doing it -everywhere-, they are doing it all the time, and they are letting Deputy Dawg the local cop track whoever he wants, whenever he wants, for whatever he wants.<br><blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex" class="gmail_quote"><div><p>The DEA program collects data about vehicle movements, including time, direction and location, from high-tech cameras placed strategically on major highways. Many devices also record visual images of drivers and passengers, which are sometimes clear enough for investigators to confirm identities, according to DEA documents and people familiar with the program.</p> <p>The documents show that the DEA also uses license-plate readers operated by state, local and federal law-enforcement agencies to feed into its own network and create a far-reaching, constantly updating database of electronic eyes scanning traffic on the roads to steer police toward suspects. </p></div></blockquote><div>Why is this bad? Its bad because it doesn&#39;t track bad guys. It tracks EVERYONE. Then Deputy Dawg decides who he&#39;s interested in, and the database tells him where that car is and where it has been. Since forever, if he wants.<br><br></div><div>Naturally they say its being used to track people suspected of major crimes, but that&#39;s not true. It tracks everyone. It records everyone. Then the cops decide if they care where you&#39;ve been or not.<br><br></div><div>Here&#39;s another reason why its a bad thing. <a href="https://autos.yahoo.com/blogs/motoramic/california-readies-pay-as-you-drive-tax-test-175305098.html">California wants to impose a mileage tax.</a> Guess what technology they&#39;re going to use to make that happen. Uh huh. license plate cameras. Because then you don&#39;t have to modify every car, just stick cameras all over the place.<br><br></div><div>The Phantom<br></div></div> http://phantomsoapbox.blogspot.com/2015/01/dea-tracks-your-car-in-real-time-now.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Phantom)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15888307.post-3483125628545820041Tue, 27 Jan 2015 00:42:00 +00002015-01-26T19:42:59.031-05:00Maclean's loses the thread again: Canada's race problem worse than USA!!!<div dir="ltr">Maclean&#39;s, in a frantic scramble to find relevance, wanders further off into the blasted wasteland of lost Leftist causes. <a href="http://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/out-of-sight-out-of-mind-2/">Canada, they intone, is a racist nation.</a> Woe be unto us for we have sinned.<br><blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex" class="gmail_quote"><span itemprop="articleBody" class=""><p>The racial mess in the United States looks pretty grim and is painful to watch. We can be forgiven for being quietly thankful for Canada's more inclusive society, which has avoided dramas like that in Ferguson, Mo. We are not the only ones to think this. In the recently released <a href="http://www.socialprogressimperative.org/data/spi/countries/CAN">Social Progress Index</a>, Canada is ranked second amongst all nations for its tolerance and inclusion.</p> <p>Unfortunately, the truth is we have a far worse race problem than the United States. We just can't see it very easily.</p></span></blockquote><div>Yes, we have sinned indeed, for we have left the Poor Indians in dire straits.<br><blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex" class="gmail_quote"><span itemprop="articleBody" class=""><p>Terry Glavin, <a href="http://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/columnists/glavin-canadians-have-no-reason-to-be-smug-about-race">recently writing in the <em>Ottawa Citizen</em></a>, mocked the idea that the United States could learn from Canada's example when it comes to racial harmony. To illustrate his point, he compared the conditions of the African-American community to Canada's First Nations. If you judge a society by how it treats its most disadvantaged, Glavin found us wanting. Consider the accompanying table. By almost every measurable indicator, <a href="http://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/why-fixing-first-nations-education-remains-so-far-out-of-reach/">the Aboriginal population in Canada</a> is treated worse and lives with more hardship than the African-American population. All these facts tell us one thing: Canada has a race problem, too.</p> <p>How are we not choking on these numbers? For a country so self-satisfied with its image of progressive tolerance, how is this not a national crisis? Why are governments not falling on this issue?</p></span></blockquote><div>Well, mostly because the plight of the Indians in Canada is 100% created and maintained by the Federal government. If they just cut off all the welfare and stopped flying stuff in to those remote reserves... they&#39;d all move away and join the rest of us in Civilization. They&#39;d get jobs, buy homes, and generally behave like everybody else. Or, you know, close enough.<br><br></div><div>Government stops that from happening by flying free food, fuel and snowmobiles in to hamlets of 45 people deep in the bush, 200 miles from the nearest road. The result, crushing poverty and societal malfunction on an epic scale. Duh.<br><br></div><div>But I&#39;m a RAAAAACIST for saying so. I&#39;m supposed to just shut up and pay the money.<br></div></div></div> http://phantomsoapbox.blogspot.com/2015/01/macleans-loses-thread-again-canadas.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Phantom)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15888307.post-4819717509963452310Mon, 26 Jan 2015 17:33:00 +00002015-01-26T12:33:42.515-05:00Here's another example of Big Charity faceplanting into Reality.<div dir="ltr"><div><div><div><div><div>By way of <a href="http://www.smalldeadanimals.com/archives/the-nets-go-str.html">Small Dead Animals, another megaFail from the UN </a>and Dr. Feelgood Charities Inc. You know those anti-malaria mosquito nets that are getting handed out to the Poor Bastards in Africa?<br><br></div><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/25/world/africa/mosquito-nets-for-malaria-spawn-new-epidemic-overfishing.html?smid=tw-nytimesworld">They use them for fishing</a>.<br><br><blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex" class="gmail_quote">Nets like his are widely considered a magic bullet against malaria — one of the cheapest and most effective ways to stop a disease that <a title="C.D.C. page." href="http://www.cdc.gov/malaria/malaria_worldwide/impact.html">kills at least half a million Africans</a> each year. But Mr. Ndefi and countless others are not using their mosquito nets as global health experts have intended.<p class="" itemprop="articleBody" id="story-continues-2">Nobody in his hut, including his seven children, sleeps under a net at night. Instead, Mr. Ndefi has taken his family's supply of anti-malaria nets and sewn them together into a gigantic sieve that he uses to drag the bottom of the swamp ponds, sweeping up all sorts of life: baby catfish, <a title="U.S.G.S. page." href="http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/factsheet.aspx?SpeciesID=484">banded tilapia</a>, tiny <a href="http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/mouthbrooders.php">mouthbrooders</a>, orange fish eggs, water bugs and the occasional green frog.</p></blockquote>Note that this dragging entirely denudes the ponds of -everything-, <b>including all those fish and animals that eat mosquito eggs</b>. Thereby making everything to do with malaria so much worse.<br><br></div>Is this because Mr. Ndefi is an idiot? No. Its because there&#39;s no food, no agriculture and no industry, so Mr. Ndefi and his family eat bugs. They pretty much won&#39;t live to see the environmental devastation of tomorrow if they don&#39;t capture every last ounce of edible matter out of that swamp today. The mosquito net is FREE, too. Therefore OBVIOUSLY Mr. Ndefi uses the net to fish, and damn the malaria. Way to go, Western charities. Oh and way to cover it up too, this is going on for a decade now and the New York Times is mentioning it only because the tree huggers are in an uproar.<br><br></div>Basically, the people we have trusted and given money to for a couple of generations now to look after Mr. Ndefi are a pack of lying assholes, who pretty much just steal all our charity donations. And we don&#39;t care. We give money to African charities because it makes <i>us </i>feel better, not because we really give a shit about Mr. Ndefi. If we gave a shit we&#39;d go there ourselves and help the guy out, like missionaries used to do. Easier just to give money, right?<br><br></div>That&#39;s why I give money to the Canadian Warplane Heritage instead of OXFAM et al. At least my money is going to support something worthwhile, namely maintaining and flying antique weapons of war that remind us all of the sacrifices made so we can be free. It doesn&#39;t really help Mr. Ndefi, but at least he doesn&#39;t have to suffer MORE to make me feeeeeeeeeelz better about myself.<br><br></div>The Vicious and Uncaring Racist Phantom<br></div> http://phantomsoapbox.blogspot.com/2015/01/heres-another-example-of-big-charity.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Phantom)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15888307.post-6888466649651377385Fri, 23 Jan 2015 16:14:00 +00002015-01-23T11:14:38.782-05:00Gun law, and the importance of having Friends.<div dir="ltr"><div><div>Remember when David Gregory went on Meet the Press live from Washington DC, and showed an AR-15 mag on TV? Remember how many people wondered why he wasn&#39;t arrested and charged with a gun crime for that? <a href="http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/documents-cops-wanted-to-hit-meet-the-press-then-host-david-gregory-with-gun-charge/article/2559132">Here&#39;s why</a>:<br><br><blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex" class="gmail_quote"><span itemprop="articleBody"><p>Legalinsurrection.com's <a target="_blank" href="http://legalinsurrection.com/2015/01/finally-obtained-david-gregory-arrest-warrant-affidavit/">William A. Jacobson wrote</a>: "The short version is that the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department warned NBC News that it could not possess an actual high-capacity magazine, but NBC News went ahead and did it anyway. The MPD recommended a warrant for Gregory's arrest, but that request was nixed by the D.C. Attorney General Irvin Nathan because — my paraphrase — Gregory was just too nice a guy and had no other criminal intent."</p> <p>The incident occurred Dec. 23, 2012 when Gregory displayed a 30-round magazine for effect while interviewing LaPierre following the Newtown shootings.</p> <p>In Washington [DC], it is illegal to possess a magazine holding 10 rounds or more, even if empty.</p></span></blockquote>Yeah, its illegal... unless you have a Special Deal with the district attorney&#39;s office. Then all that matters is if you&#39;re a &quot;nice guy&quot; or not. Clearly &quot;nice guy&quot; means loyal DemocRat and VIP in the media. <br><br>If Wayne LaPierre had held the magazine, they&#39;d most likely have charged him AND perp-walked him out of the studio in cuffs on live TV. Because Wayne LaPierre is not a &quot;nice guy&quot; by those standards.<br><br></div>It pays to have friends.<br><br></div>The Phantom<br></div> http://phantomsoapbox.blogspot.com/2015/01/gun-law-and-importance-of-having-friends.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Phantom)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15888307.post-3787009293451670640Wed, 21 Jan 2015 16:17:00 +00002015-01-21T11:56:01.208-05:00Liam Neeson speaks with forked tongue about guns. Must be Wednesday.<div dir="ltr"><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-30912656">Mr. Neeson's remarks regarding the private ownership of firearms</a> have annoyed the company that supplies him guns for his movie roles... where the characters he portrays do a lot of shooting.<br /><br /><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204,204,204); margin: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">"There's just too many... guns out there," Neeson told <a href="http://gulfnews.com/arts-entertainment/celebrity/hollywood/liam-neeson-slammed-by-gun-company-1.1444371">Dubai's Gulf News</a> last week. "Especially in America."<br />He continued: "I think the population is like, 320 million? There's over 300 million guns. Privately owned, in America.<br />"I think it's a disgrace. Every week now we're picking up a newspaper and seeing, 'Yet another few kids have been killed in schools.'"<br />Neeson made his comments in reply to a question about the Charlie Hebdo shootings in Paris earlier in the month.</blockquote>This despite the fact that French gun laws disarmed everybody except the killers at the Charlie Hebdo atrocity.</div><div><br />But does the never-ending stream of Hollywood bang bang movies perhaps have anything to do with people shooting each other?<br /><br /><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204,204,204); margin: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">"I grew up watching cowboy movies, loved doing that [gun gesture] with my fingers, 'Bang, bang, you're dead!' I didn't end up a killer," he [Neeson] said.<br />"A character like Bryan Mills going out with guns and taking revenge: it's fantasy."</blockquote>"Naw, that's cwaaaayzy tawk!" Mr. Neeson is pleased to have it both ways in the same conversation. Constant media propaganda about shooting guys for revenge has no effect on society, but the mere existence of guns in private hands is a "disgrace". <br /><br />So, nothing new here then. Same old Hollywood bullshit, different day.</div><div><br /></div>The company that supplied the guns used in the "Taken" movies, by characters who are portrayed as armed private citizens not to put too fine a point on it, is not amused.<br /><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204,204,204); margin: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">PARA USA said Neeson's comments reflected a "cultural and factual ignorance that undermines support of the Second Amendment and American liberties".<br />On <a href="https://www.facebook.com/PARA1911?rf=159261457428687">their Facebook page</a>, the company added: "We will no longer provide firearms for use in films starring Liam Neeson and ask that our friends and partners in Hollywood refrain from associating our brand and products with his projects."</blockquote>That's <a href="http://www.para-usa.com/2013/index.php">PARA Ordinance</a>, a formerly Canadian company that according to Wiki is based out of North Carolina these days but maintains a factory in Scarborough Ontario. How they manage that I can't imagine, but they do.</div>Nice to see a firearms company sticking up for themselves and telling the Big Star to go pound salt.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YfIwJ9OE4I8/VL_ZL6oSBxI/AAAAAAAABuY/Nao2ra46VhU/s1600/96694_black_ops_1445.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YfIwJ9OE4I8/VL_ZL6oSBxI/AAAAAAAABuY/Nao2ra46VhU/s1600/96694_black_ops_1445.png" height="136" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Free plug for PARA Ordinance, they're purty. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div>Now, I've never been shy of talking about the gun control issue, and the extent to which people like Liam Neeson are full of shit. I'll be generous in his case and put it down to "going along to get along", because if he didn't spout anti-gun platitudes at the right time he'd never get another acting job the rest of his life.<br /><br /></div>But really, the more one looks into the issue the more one discovers a singular truth: virtually all gun murders take place in a few geographic locations. Namely, black neighborhoods in large DemocRat administered cities. If you plot the geographic location of murders on a map with tiny red dots, most of the map is completely empty and the part of downtown that looks like its on fire is the black neighborhood.<br /><br /></div>For those tempted to scream RAAAAAACIST!!! at this point, after punching yourself in the face you should consider that all black people don't live downtown. Or in cities run by Democrats. Its not about race, per se.<br /><br /></div><a href="http://historynewsnetwork.org/article/157833">Here's a genius article that lays out the demographics</a> pretty bluntly for y'all. Found it over at <a href="http://www.fivefeetoffury.com/2015/01/19/the-united-states-does-not-have-the-highest-firearm-homicide-rates-of-all-countries-or-of-all-developed-countries/">Five Feet of Fury</a> today.<br /><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204,204,204); margin: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;"><div id="stcpDiv">... Most gun deaths are urban homicides - maybe four a week in Chicago. In fact, eleven American cities – Chicago, New Orleans, Detroit, Los Angeles, Jacksonville (Fla.), Miami, Orlando, Omaha, Atlanta, Aurora, IL, and Dallas, account for over 70% of all American gun homicides – with a weekly rate of nearly 30 shootings.<br />Narrowing further, according to the 2013 DOJ crime statistics, 53% of all US homicides are committed by black young men (15 to 30) in urban violence with handguns. Blacks are about 14% of US population; but young black men are about 13% of the total black population. So, 13 X 14 = 1.82, <b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: red;">less than 2% of our population commits more than half of all American gun murders.</span></span></b> <i>Thus, a very small percent of the US population commits most gun homicides.</i> There are no recorded comments about this circumstance from CNN or the <i>New York Times</i> however.</div></blockquote>Faced with that particular fact, Mr. Liam Neeson would I think be struck dumb by the implications. I'm sure the best retort he'd be able to muster would be "RAAAAACIST!!!"<br /><br /></div>Just to rub some salt in the wound now, the cities listed are the ones with the most stringent local gun control laws in the USA.<br /><br /></div>Mr. Neesom, please go punch yourself in the face at your earliest opportunity.<br /><br /></div>The Phantom</div>http://phantomsoapbox.blogspot.com/2015/01/liam-neeson-speaks-with-forked-tongue.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Phantom)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15888307.post-7520479274438214243Tue, 20 Jan 2015 15:23:00 +00002015-01-20T10:23:50.814-05:00US cops now have radar "x-ray vision", didn't tell anybody.<div dir="ltr"><div><div>Doppler radar on a single chip<a href="http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/login.jsp?tp=&amp;arnumber=5165968&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fieeexplore.ieee.org%2Fiel5%2F5159259%2F5165586%2F05165968.pdf%3Farnumber%3D5165968"> has been around for quite a long time now</a>, I remember reading about it in the early 1990&#39;s in Scientific American.<br><br></div>Using radar to look inside a house has been a thing for quite a while now as well. Because when there&#39;s radar-on-a-chip available to fiddle with, people fiddle with them and discover they can do things that are pretty interesting. Like they can <a href="http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/login.jsp?tp=&amp;arnumber=6090541&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fieeexplore.ieee.org%2Fiel5%2F6067544%2F6089866%2F06090541.pdf%3Farnumber%3D6090541">detect the motions of a human breathing from outside a house.</a> They can obviously spot a human moving around inside a house as well.<br><br>Well, it seems that somebody built some of these super Tom Swift radars. <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/01/19/police-radar-see-through-walls/22007615/">Rolled &#39;em out to cop departments all over the USA.</a> One problem: they didn&#39;t tell anybody. <br><br><blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex" class="gmail_quote">At least 50 U.S. law enforcement agencies have secretly equipped their officers with radar devices that allow them to effectively peer through the walls of houses to see whether anyone is inside, a practice raising new concerns about the extent of government surveillance.<p>Those agencies, including the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service, began deploying the radar systems more than two years ago with little notice to the courts and no public disclosure of when or how they would be used. The technology raises legal and privacy issues because the U.S. Supreme Court has said officers generally cannot use high-tech sensors to tell them about the inside of a person&#39;s house without first obtaining a search warrant.</p></blockquote>Obtaining a search warrant is of course something they have not been doing. They&#39;ve been scanning to see if there&#39;s anybody home first and asking permission later.<br><blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex" class="gmail_quote"><p>Agents&#39; use of the radars was largely unknown until December, when a federal appeals court in Denver <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/1505137-12-6001.html" title="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/1505137-12-6001.html">said officers had used one</a> before they entered a house to arrest a man wanted for violating his parole. The judges expressed alarm that agents had used the new technology without a search warrant, warning that &quot;the government&#39;s warrantless use of such a powerful tool to search inside homes poses grave Fourth Amendment questions.&quot;</p><p>By then, however, the technology was hardly new. Federal contract records show the Marshals Service began buying the radars in 2012, and has so far spent at least $180,000 on them.</p></blockquote>And the court has been letting them.<br><br><blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex" class="gmail_quote">Agents arrested Denson for the parole violation and charged him with illegally possessing two firearms they found inside. The agents had a warrant for Denson&#39;s arrest but did not have a search warrant. Denson&#39;s lawyer sought to have the guns charge thrown out, in part because the search began with the warrantless use of the radar device.<p>Three judges on the federal 10th Circuit Court of Appeals <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/1505137-12-6001.html" title="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/1505137-12-6001.html">upheld</a> the search, and Denson&#39;s conviction, on other grounds. Still, the judges wrote, they had &quot;little doubt that the radar device deployed here will soon generate many questions for this court.&quot;</p></blockquote>Despite the fact that scanning a residence with any kind of sensor, be it thermal, radar or even a drug-sniffing dog without a warrant has been specifically disallowed by the Supreme Court of the USA. <br><br>Because its just too handy to be able to use penetrating imaging for fishing expeditions. It may not hold up in court, but if you do it secretly you can always find another reason to raid a guy&#39;s place if you try hard enough.<br><br></div><div>Incidentally there are drone-mounted versions of this technology available that can work at extended range. I would think a quadcopter would be large enough to carry something like that, their power consumption is relatively small and physically the whole guts of the unit will be the size of a cell-phone. There are also larger side-looking radar sets that can be mounted on an aircraft or dirigible which can image arbitrarily large areas. Just crank up the power and you can see inside stuff for miles.<br><br></div><div>Brings a whole new level of irony to the term &quot;tinfoil hat&quot; doesn&#39;t it?<br></div><div><br></div><div>Just thought y&#39;all ought to know. Maybe get some aluminum siding on the house and mylar in those windows, eh?<br></div></div> http://phantomsoapbox.blogspot.com/2015/01/us-cops-now-have-radar-x-ray-vision.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Phantom)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15888307.post-6525229182382896705Mon, 19 Jan 2015 17:12:00 +00002015-01-19T12:12:55.345-05:00Sandy Hook commission grinds its way to inevitable conclusion: ban guns.<div dir="ltr"><div><div><div><div><div><div><div>Whenever there&#39;s Something Bad that happens, the state and the local governments always form a commission or a panel of inquiry to &quot;look into the matter&quot; and &quot;see what can be done&quot; to prevent the next Bad Thing. Such panels inevitably find that the existing government policy is correct, except it didn&#39;t go far enough, so they always propose a new regulation or tax or law or some other newer,bigger, better restriction of the freedoms enjoyed by regular citizens. <br><br></div>Because people are stupid. They have to be controlled.<br><br></div>Well, wouldn&#39;t you know that there was just such a commission formed after the Sandy Hook public school shooting. <a href="http://eagnews.org/report-school-shooting-commission-to-propose-gun-ban/">And they announced their report today</a>.<br><br><blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex" class="gmail_quote"><p>HARTFORD, Conn. – A Connecticut government commission created after the Sandy Hook school massacre will be proposing a "gun ban."<br> <span id="more-42304"></span></p> <p>The Morning Journal <a href="http://www.morningjournalnews.com/page/content.detail/id/776005/Newtown-school-panel-to-include-proposed-gun-ban-in-report.html?isap=1&amp;nav=5021" target="_blank">reports</a>:</p>An advisory panel charged with looking at public safety in the wake of the deadly Newtown school shooting agreed Friday to include in its final report a recommendation to ban the sale and possession of any gun that can fire more than 10 rounds without reloading. <p><font size="4"><span style="color:rgb(255,0,0)">"Whether or not this law would stand the test of constitutionality is not for this commission to decide," says former Hartford Police Chief Bernard Sullivan, a member of the panel.</span></font></p> <p>"The commission has expressed very strongly that this is a statement that is needed regarding the lethality of weapons."</p> <p>The group wants to emphasize that there "needs to be more regulation of guns that can inflict mass casualties, even if it causes some inconvenience to recreational shooters."</p></blockquote>Obviously. Because its easy, and accepted by their bosses, and will obviously be accepted by the media. That such a thing is 100% unconstitutional in the USA is &quot;not for this commission to decide&quot;. Which was pretty awesome coming from a cop who swore to uphold the Constitution of the United States when he got hired to that job.<br><br></div>That it will make no difference if it becomes law is unimportant. That it will 99% likely fail to even become law is unimportant. That it wouldn&#39;t have saved a single child at Sandy Hook had it been law at the time... is unimportant.<br><br></div>What&#39;s important is that some government guys got paid to sit around and waste a bunch of time and resources generating one more bullshit report that nobody will ever read, and then went on TV to say how much they care.<br><br></div>That&#39;s what modern government is and what it does, in a nutshell. Repeat this hundreds of thousands of times per year, it gives you some indication of what goes on all over Western Civilization.<br><br></div>All I&#39;m saying is, couldn&#39;t we all get by with a bit less of this? Couldn&#39;t we fire at least half of these assholes and not even notice they were gone?<br><br></div>I think we could.<br></div> http://phantomsoapbox.blogspot.com/2015/01/sandy-hook-commission-grinds-its-way-to.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Phantom)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15888307.post-3553647627274716746Thu, 15 Jan 2015 15:40:00 +00002015-01-15T10:54:52.781-05:00Pope says there are limits to free speech.<div dir="ltr">Well my friends, it appears that Free Speech has very few friends in high places these days. No less a leader than the <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/pope-charlie-hebdo-limits-free-expression-121639260.html" target="_blank">Pope of Rome has decided Charlie Hebdo was asking for it</a>.<br /><br /><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204,204,204); margin: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">Francis spoke about the Paris terror attacks while en route to the Philippines, defending free speech as not only a fundamental human right but a duty to speak one's mind for the sake of the common good.<br />But he said there were limits.<br />By way of example, he referred to Alberto Gasparri, who organizes papal trips and was standing by his side aboard the papal plane.<br />"If my good friend Dr. Gasparri says a curse word against my mother, he can expect a punch," Francis said, throwing a pretend punch his way. "It's normal. You cannot provoke. You cannot insult the faith of others. You cannot make fun of the faith of others."</blockquote><div>&nbsp;It goes on.<br /><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204,204,204); margin: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">Francis, who has urged Muslim leaders in particular to speak out against Islamic extremism, went a step further when asked by a French journalist about whether there were limits when freedom of expression meets freedom of religion.<br />Francis insisted that it was an "aberration" to kill in the name of God and said religion can never be used to justify violence.<br />But he said there was a limit to free speech when it concerned offending someone's religious beliefs.<br />"There are so many people who speak badly about religions or other religions, who make fun of them, who make a game out of the religions of others," he said. "They are provocateurs. And what happens to them is what would happen to Dr. Gasparri if he says a curse word against my mother. There is a limit."</blockquote><div>There you have it, my friends. No making fun of Islam, because the Pope says you're asking for it. Even though people mock Catholicism every single day and nobody does squat to them.<br /><br /></div><div>This is not "tolerance". This is not "consideration". This is the hidden racism of low expectations. Translating for His Holiness from the ecclesiastical double-talk, it goes like this: "Yes, Catholics can control themselves when somebody mocks Jesus, but those Mooselimbs, they're savages you know. Best not to provoke them, they'll kill you."<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Xry-kOHGz98/VLfiGwnDYMI/AAAAAAAABuI/bbhMaKtL2wI/s1600/ShutUpBitch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Xry-kOHGz98/VLfiGwnDYMI/AAAAAAAABuI/bbhMaKtL2wI/s1600/ShutUpBitch.jpg" height="211" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Darth Vader explains Charlie Hebdo to Princess Leia.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div>Or even shorter:<span style="font-size: x-large;"> "Shut up!" he explained.</span><br /><br /></div><div>The Phantom.</div></div></div>http://phantomsoapbox.blogspot.com/2015/01/pope-says-there-are-limits-to-free.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Phantom)6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15888307.post-3867468706087346568Wed, 14 Jan 2015 15:15:00 +00002015-01-14T10:15:12.330-05:00Tyranny begins at home. Fight it here first.<div dir="ltr">As usual, the Ivory Tower is on the cutting edge of &quot;Shut up and do as you&#39;re told!&quot; Today&#39;s adventure in tyranny is another &quot;its for the children&quot; Trojan horse. <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/cracking-down-on-skipping-class-1421196743">Mechanized attendance enforcement</a>.<br><br><blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex" class="gmail_quote"><p>Skipping class undetected for a game of ultimate Frisbee might become a thing of the past as more universities adopt mandatory-attendance policies and acquire high-tech trackers that snitch when students skip.</p> <p>At Villanova University, student ID cards track attendance at some lectures. Administrators at University of Arkansas last semester began electronically monitoring the class attendance of 750 freshmen as part of a pilot program they might extend to all underclassman. And at Harvard, researchers secretly filmed classrooms to learn how many students were skipping lectures. </p> <p>The moves reflect the rising financial consequence of skipping too many classes and, consequently, dropping out. More than four in 10 full-time college students fail to graduate in six years. Many are stuck with crippling student debt and no credentials to help them pay it back. Graduation rates also figure into closely watched school rankings. </p></blockquote>At Harvard they just secretly filmed lectures and identified students from their ID pics. Nothing creepy about that, eh?<br><div><br>As usual, they pretend concern for the students, but the real deal is they&#39;re concerned about student loans. There&#39;s something like a trillion dollars worth of outstanding student loans out there right now, because it costs a couple hundred grand to get an MA these days. Less than an MA doesn&#39;t get you squat, PhD&#39;s are better but still no guarantee.<br><br></div><div>As usual, they pretend they are doing the public a favor by allowing their kids to attend these stately and august institutions.<br><br></div><div>As usual, the truth is still plain to see: WE pay THEM. THEY do not pay US.<br><br></div><div>And parents, if your kid can&#39;t be trusted to get his ass in gear and do the coursework, why are you paying for him to be at school? Let him pay you for room and board instead, while he learns that life sucks when you work as a landscaper&#39;s helper.<br><br></div><div>The Phantom<br></div></div> http://phantomsoapbox.blogspot.com/2015/01/tyranny-begins-at-home-fight-it-here.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Phantom)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15888307.post-3507446508578525563Wed, 14 Jan 2015 00:14:00 +00002015-01-13T19:14:22.077-05:00Obama attacks the Internet.<div dir="ltr"><div><div><div><div><div>Here it comes. <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/white-house-renews-bid-cybersecurity-law-155403546.html">The final push to shut down the Intertubes.</a><br><br><blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex" class="gmail_quote"> President Barack Obama said Tuesday the cyber attacks against Sony and the Pentagon&#39;s Central Command highlight the need for toughened laws on cybersecurity.<br><p id="yui_3_16_0_1_1421186853436_1102">Obama made the comment as the White House unveiled a proposal to revive cybersecurity legislation stalled over the past few years.</p><p id="yui_3_16_0_1_1421186853436_1109">&quot;With the Sony attack that took place, with the Twitter account that was hacked by Islamist jihadist sympathizers yesterday, it just goes to show how much more work we need to do -- both public and private sector -- to strengthen our cybersecurity,&quot; the president said at a meeting with congressional leaders.</p><p id="yui_3_16_0_1_1421186853436_1111">Obama said he had spoken to the Republican leaders of the House and Senate and &quot;I think we agreed that this is an area where we can work hard together, get some legislation done and make sure that we are much more effective in protecting the American people from these kinds of cyberattacks.&quot;</p></blockquote>This is bullshit, obviously. The fact that the Pentagon even <i>-has-</i> a Twitter account is a sign that &quot;cyber security&quot; is not taken at all seriously by the people in the White House.<br><br></div>You know what they do take seriously? Blogs. On-line searchable newspapers. Drudge Report. <br><br></div>Anybody can post for free. Anybody can read for free. Anywhere. So word of what they do every day is becoming common knowledge.<br><br></div></div><div>This is killing the socialists. They depend on people not knowing what they&#39;re doing, because mostly what they&#39;re doing is screwing around and stealing tax money. The more we know about what they&#39;re doing up there in Toronto, and Ottawa, and Washington and so forth, the more we&#39;re not voting for their lazy corrupt lying asses. Therefore, if they want to hold on to their power and prerogatives, and MONEY, they have to make the Internet shut up. <br><br>That&#39;s what this Washington &quot;cyber security&quot; push is all about. They&#39;re explaining to me that I better shut the hell up or they&#39;ll come and kick my door down.<br><br></div><div>Good thing I live in Canada, eh? I&#39;m safe... for now.<br><br></div><div>The Phantom<br></div></div></div> http://phantomsoapbox.blogspot.com/2015/01/obama-attacks-internet.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Phantom)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15888307.post-3227178586387756923Tue, 13 Jan 2015 18:00:00 +00002015-01-13T13:00:31.473-05:00Charlie Hebdo: Jimmy Carter blames Israel.<div dir="ltr"><div><div><div><div><div><a href="http://dailycaller.com/2015/01/13/jimmy-carter-blames-recent-terror-attacks-on-palestinian-problem/">Can&#39;t make this crap up.</a><br><br><blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex" class="gmail_quote">Appearing on "The Daily Show" Monday, Carter was asked by host Jon Stewart whether the violence the world saw on the streets of Paris was actually fueled by something else other than Islamic extremism. <p>"Well, one of the origins for it is the Palestinian problem," Carter replied. "And this aggravates people who are affiliated in any way with the Arab people who live in the West Bank and Gaza, what they are doing now — what's being done to them. So I think that's part of it."</p></blockquote>Yep. The JOOOOOOOS! did it. If it wasn&#39;t for them damn JOOOOOOS! screwing things up in the Middle East none of this shit would have happened.<br><br></div>Ladies and gentlemen, if you are Jewish or know someone who is, I strongly counsel you to avoid voting for the DemocRats in the USA or the Liberals/NDPee here in Canada. They are going to blame you for every atrocity and terrorist act that happens in the world so long as they remain in power. For a former President of the Unitied States to come out and say that terrorists trained and funded by YEMEN are motivated by the &quot;plight of the Palestinians&quot; is just code for <i>&quot;Look, shiny thing!&quot;</i><br><br></div>The plain fact is that <i>mass</i> immigration of individuals whose culture is inimical to Western values is a stupid idea. In the event that there are &quot;read until offended&quot; social justice warriors reading this at any point, please note the modifier <font size="6">&quot;mass&quot;</font> in front of immigration. A few hundred or a few thousand individuals from a hostile culture will make no difference to the country when they immigrate here. They won&#39;t like it, and we locals might not like them if they&#39;re obnoxious about it, but that&#39;s not really a national scale problem. Obnoxious people come from all races and religions, no single group has a monopoly. <br><br>But if you import over a million of them in ten years, that&#39;s a problem. Its also Liberal Party of Canada policy. They&#39;re the ones who started that ball rolling, they&#39;re the ones who scream &quot;RAAAAAACIST!&quot; if you even mention the subject. In the USA of course, its the DemocRats who started this mass immigration thing and continue to support it. Former President Jimmy Carter was instrumental in instituting this policy. <br></div><br></div>Rather than wear the blame for this failed policy, Mr. Carter is pleased to blame Israel. Which is typical of both Mr. Carter and socialists everywhere. <br><br>Look for young Justin Trudeau to mouth some similar platitude in the days ahead. It probably plays well in focus groups.<br><br></div>The Phantom<br></div> http://phantomsoapbox.blogspot.com/2015/01/charlie-hebdo-jimmy-carter-blames-israel.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Phantom)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15888307.post-4063163240222744871Wed, 07 Jan 2015 19:48:00 +00002015-01-07T14:48:33.854-05:00Why did 12 people have to die today?<div dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.vox.com/2015/1/7/7507883/charlie-hebdo-explained-covers">Here&#39;s why.</a><br><br><blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex" class="gmail_quote"><p>Masked gunmen on Wednesday <a href="http://www.vox.com/2015/1/7/7507849/charlie-hebdo-attack-terrorists-paris-shooting" target="_blank">attacked the Paris offices of Charlie Hebdo</a>, a French magazine known for its biting humor — and, more specifically, for a string of satirical cartoons about Islam and the Prophet Muhammed.</p> <p>Charlie Hebdo, whose name translates roughly to &quot;Charlie Weekly,&quot; is a weekly publication that covers French politics through cartoons, satirical articles, and jokes. Although its editor-in-chief <a target="_blank" href="http://www.lecourrier.ch/charlie_hebdo_c_est_la_gauche_plurielle">Stéphane Charbonnier</a>, who was killed in the attack, <span>has said that he considered the magazine a leftist-pluralist publication, its stance can perhaps better be described as anti-institutional. Its biting satire habitually targeted the government, high-profile politicians, and organized religion. The magazine was founded in 1969, and was resurrected in 1992 following a three-year hiatus.</span></p> <p>Those cartoons have provoked a backlash against the magazine in the past, including a firebomb attack on its offices in 2011. <span>But for the editors of the magazine, the offense was the point: the cartoons were directed as much at public sanctimony about Islam and multiculturalism as they were at their nominal subjects. They believed that the short-term decision to avoid offense would damage French secular culture in the longer term.</span></p> <p>That debate is not limited to the pages of Charlie Hebdo. The question of whether Islam poses a threat to French culture is a hot-button issue in France, where &quot;laïcité&quot; — secularism — has such importance that it has been described as a &quot;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.law2.byu.edu/lawreview/archives/2004/5GUN-FIN2.pdf">founding myth</a>&quot; of the French republic.</p> <span>The magazine&#39;s cover this week seems to highlight the dangers of avoiding offense. It featured a cartoon figure saying<font size="6"><span style="color:rgb(255,0,0)"> &quot;In 2015, I lose my teeth. In 2022, I observe Ramadan!&quot;</span></font></span><br></blockquote><div><br></div><div>Because liberals.<br><br></div><div>The Phantom <br></div></div> http://phantomsoapbox.blogspot.com/2015/01/why-did-12-people-have-to-die-today.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Phantom)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15888307.post-3136087711030204199Wed, 07 Jan 2015 15:49:00 +00002015-01-07T10:49:05.372-05:00More "mentally ill individuals" attack in Paris. Gun control working as intended.<div dir="ltr">When is <a href="http://news.sky.com/story/1403662/victims-named-as-police-hunt-paris-gunmen">a terrorist attack</a> not a terrorist attack? <a href="http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/wh-unsure-whether-murderous-rampage-france-terrorism_823285.html">When you are a Liberal</a>.<br><br><blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex" class="gmail_quote">&quot;Based on what we know right now it does seem that&#39;s what we&#39;re confronting here. And this is an act of violence that we certainly do condemn, <strong>and if based on this investigation it turns out to be an act of terrorism, then we would condemn that in the strongest possible terms, too</strong>,&quot; said [White House press secretary Josh] Earnest.<br></blockquote><div><br></div><div>This is regarding an attack in Paris today when the following was reported:<br> <br><blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex" class="gmail_quote">Heavily armed gunmen shouting Islamist slogans stormed a Paris satirical newspaper office Wednesday and shot dead at least 12 people in the deadliest attack in France in four decades.<span><p>Police launched a massive manhunt for the masked attackers who reportedly hijacked a car and sped off, running over a pedestrian and shooting at officers.</p><p>Police said witnesses heard the attackers, who were armed with a Kalashnikov and rocket launcher, shout &quot;we have avenged the prophet&quot; and &quot;Allahu akbar&quot; (God is greatest). </p><p>Two police were confirmed among the dead and four people were critically injured.</p><p>The capital was placed under the highest alert status after the attack on Charlie Hebdo, a satirical weekly that has sparked anger in the past among Muslims for publishing cartoons of the prophet Mohamed.</p></span></blockquote><div><br></div><div>Now, why does the header of this post say &quot;gun control working as intended&quot;? Because one of the best ways for a &quot;soft&quot; tyranny such as French Socialism to punish its ideological enemies is to let &quot;terrorists&quot; do it for them. All you have to do is ban the private ownership of weapons, and sit back. Sooner or later somebody will decide that the <span> satirical weekly newspaper has said the wrong thing and go shoot the place up with an illegally obtained firearm or two. Then you respond by viewing this event with alarm and INCREASING gun confiscation efforts. <br><br></span></div><div><span>The main problem I have with liberals is that they don&#39;t see this as odd. Disarming the victim and appeasing the attackers is entirely reasonable to liberals. They see weapons of self defense as a provocation to violence, they think that the presence of a firearm in an emotionally charged situation will in fact cause violence to occur. They believe the absence of weapons creates peace.<br><br></span></div><div><span>Problem is, <font size="6">they&#39;re wrong.</font> Values matter. Culture matters. Morals and courage matter. You give a gun to a scumbag, he&#39;ll do murder with it. Not because the gun made him do it, but because he&#39;s a scumbag. You give a gun to a normal person from the Western civilization with normal values and the courage normal people generally have, he will stick it in a holster on his belt and leave it there. He&#39;ll never pull it out of that holster and point it at another human unless they are trying to KILL him. At which point said human will 99% of the time stop what they&#39;re doing and run away.<br><br></span></div><div><span>This is not some ideological fantasy, this is recorded fact. This is what actual humans actually do in countless thousands of robberies, burglaries, fights, road rages or what have you. Victim pulls a gun, bad guys run.<br><br></span></div><div><span>That this is inconvenient for Left leaning governments is all you need to know about Left leaning governments. <br><br></span></div><div><span>Here endeth the rant.<br><br></span></div><div><span>The Phantom<br></span></div></div></div> http://phantomsoapbox.blogspot.com/2015/01/more-mentally-ill-individuals-attack-in.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Phantom)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15888307.post-3940134045435466787Wed, 07 Jan 2015 14:39:00 +00002015-01-07T09:39:56.779-05:00NYC arrests drop by half.<div dir="ltr">What would happen if the cops in NYC just flat-out <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2898848/Number-arrests-New-York-plummet-holiday-period-compared-year-suspicions-grow-organised-slow-police-amid-plunging-morale.html">stopped arresting black people</a>? Here&#39;s your answer:<br><br><blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex" class="gmail_quote"><p class=""><font style="font-size:1.2em">Across the city, officers made a total of 2,401 arrests, compared with 5,448 for the same week the year before - a 56 per cent reduction.</font></p><p class=""><font style="font-size:1.2em">The declines came after a drastic drop in activity that began shortly after the murders of officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu on December 20.</font></p><p class=""><font style="font-size:1.2em">However, police union leaders have denied that the declines represent any work action. But they have acknowledged that they&#39;ve told staff to put their safety first. </font></p></blockquote><div style="overflow:hidden;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:rgb(255,255,255);text-align:left;text-decoration:none;border:medium none">I speculate that &quot;safety first&quot; means <br></div><div style="overflow:hidden;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:rgb(255,255,255);text-align:left;text-decoration:none;border:medium none"><br></div><div style="overflow:hidden;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:rgb(255,255,255);text-align:left;text-decoration:none;border:medium none">Now, do I -know- they&#39;ve stopped arresting only black people? No, I don&#39;t know that. I&#39;m sitting in my basement in the middle of rural Ontario, I have no special knowledge of NYPD scuttlebutt.<br><br></div><div style="overflow:hidden;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:rgb(255,255,255);text-align:left;text-decoration:none;border:medium none">But I do know that according to the FBI crime statistics, pretty much half the crime in NYC or any other big city in the USA is done by black males. The other half is done by everybody else. 56% reduction looks just about right.<br><br></div><div style="overflow:hidden;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:rgb(255,255,255);text-align:left;text-decoration:none;border:medium none">As union job actions go, this one is pure genius. All the rank-and-file cops just stop pulling over, questioning, ticketing, arresting, investigating or otherwise giving a crap about the black population of New York and their ill behavior. You can see the gears turning in their heads. &quot;So, we&#39;re all racist/sexist/bigot/homophobes? So we got it in for the Black Man? Everything bad is our fault? No problem. Black guys are now sacred in NYC, we don&#39;t arrest nobody for nuttin&#39;.&quot;<br><br></div><div style="overflow:hidden;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:rgb(255,255,255);text-align:left;text-decoration:none;border:medium none">NYPD also stopped issuing traffic and parking citations. You asked for it. since the 1960&#39;s you&#39;ve been asking for it. You finally got it.<br><br>Enjoy, Noo Yawk!<br><br></div><div style="overflow:hidden;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:rgb(255,255,255);text-align:left;text-decoration:none;border:medium none">In other news, 10 million New York City denizens are now discovering the downside of gun control.<b> <font size="6"><span style="color:rgb(255,0,0)">I TOLD YOU.</span></font></b><br><br></div><div style="overflow:hidden;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:rgb(255,255,255);text-align:left;text-decoration:none;border:medium none">The &quot;I told you so!&quot; Phantom<br></div></div> http://phantomsoapbox.blogspot.com/2015/01/nyc-arrests-drop-by-half.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Phantom)1